Travel bucket list idea:
Highgrove Gardens
Tetbury, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom (UK)
Last updated: 20 February, 2024
It doesn’t get much more bucket list than strolling through the private gardens of an English king. Highgrove House is the private home of King Charles III, and every spring and summer, the gardens open to the public for guided tours.
Designed and developed over forty years, the organic gardens spread over six different areas, from a colour-filled arboretum – home to acers, magnolia and cherry trees – to the Victorian ‘stumpery’, where tree ferns rise up beside natural wood sculptures, and a wildflower meadow.
Tours are led by the King’s garden guides, who have an encyclopaedic knowledge of Highgrove and all its treasures.
Logistics
Price from: £29.50
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Getting there & doing it
Highgrove is two miles south of Tetbury, around two hours’ drive from London. Reaching the gardens by public transport is difficult, requiring two buses from Kemble station.
All visits are guided tours, which must be pre-booked well weeks, if not months, in advance. The tour lasts around two hours. After your tour, have lunch or tea and cake on the terrace of the Orchard Tea Room. All food is made on site using only locally-sourced produce – some of it grown in the gardens.
When to do it
Highgrove Gardens are open from April to October, with tours available on set days. See the website for listings.
